NEWSLETTER
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign failed to disclose that corporate lobbyist Tonio Burgos solicited donations on its behalf. Photos: Kelly Campbell, Delta News Hub / flickr; Screenshot: NYC Votes
Donors solicited by at least three undisclosed bundlers — Tonio Burgos, Jim Whelan, and Rick Ostroff — were told their gifts would be matched with public funds, despite that being barred by city election law.
By Chris Bragg and Julia Rock

It’s no surprise that lobbyist Tonio Burgos is fundraising for Andrew Cuomo’s campaign for New York City mayor. Burgos worked for 15 years for Andrew’s father, former Governor Mario Cuomo. He has long been loyal to the family.

But you wouldn’t know that from the mayoral candidate’s most recent campaign finance report, which failed to disclose any fundraising by Burgos or anyone else.

Records obtained by New York Focus show that on March 7, Burgos sent out a fundraising email seeking donations for Cuomo’s campaign. The email directed potential donors to a fundraising webpage set up by the Cuomo campaign which told them that their donations would be matched with taxpayer dollars — even though Burgos’s work as a New York City registered lobbyist means that any gifts he solicits are ineligible for a match under the city’s public campaign finance system.

Recent Stories

Governor Kathy Hochul and her health department commissioner James McDonald are pushing an overhaul of New York’s home care industry. Governor's Press Office
The company used to help employers avoid paying for workers’ benefits. Now it’s slated to administer health insurance for tens of thousands of low-wage New Yorkers.
By Sam Mellins

In six weeks, New York state will push tens of thousands of low-paid home health care workers onto a private insurance plan that won’t cover basic medical needs.

That’s not the only alarming thing about the plan. The founder of Leading Edge, the company set to administer the plan, was convicted of submitting falsified documents to Congress in an attempt to hide corporate losses, and the company appears to have spent years helping New York home care employers skirt a law meant to boost worker pay and benefits, according to court filings reviewed by New York Focus.

The pro-Israel Solidarity PAC appears to have raised around $80,000 for seven New York City Council candidates over the past six months, a New York Focus analysis of campaign finance disclosures found. Photo: Wally Gobetz / flickr Logo: Solidarity PAC
The candidates did not disclose Solidarity PAC’s fundraising role in campaign finance disclosures.
By Chris Gelardi and Julia Rock

A pro-Israel fundraising group that funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to state Assembly candidates last year has now jumped into New York City Council races. The group, known as Solidarity PAC, appears to have raised around $80,000 for seven candidates it has endorsed over the past six months, a New York Focus analysis of campaign finance disclosures found. City council primaries will take place in June.

While small relative to its activity in last year’s state legislative primaries, the sum is significant for city council campaigns, which have lower contribution limits than state races. The apparent Solidarity PAC-affiliated donations amount to a quarter of endorsed candidates’ total hauls in the six months. New York City’s eight-to-one public matching program will further stretch those dollars: They could unlock nearly $240,000 in additional funds for the campaigns, according to the disclosures.

Mayor Eric Adams’s administration has spent tens of millions of dollars building the online tool MyCity. Photo: Anthony Quintano / flickr
The mayor enlisted an army of contractors to build a one-stop benefits platform. Two years and $100 million later, the website is a skeleton of what it was supposed to be.
By Zachary Groz

Over the past two and a half years, Mayor Eric Adams’s administration has spent tens of millions of dollars building an online tool it says will transform all social services in New York City.

The project, called MyCity, began with a splashy announcement — and then proceeded largely in secrecy, using an army of dozens of private contractors and resisting attempts at oversight. The project has no public roadmap for buildout or completion, a runaway budget, and a trail of missed deadlines. Its most-touted functionality so far is a child care subsidy portal — but child care providers and advocates have told New York Focus and testified to the City Council that it mostly hasn’t been helpful. And as money for MyCity continues to pour in, funding for the vouchers themselves is set to dry up.

Copyright © New York Focus 2024, All rights reserved.
Staying Focused is compiled and written by Alex Arriaga
Contact Alex at alex@nysfocus.com

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